‘People must stop buying and buying’ – “Knitting her brows with genuine concern, she explains that, with so much fast fashion available to us, we are not giving ourselves the opportunity to develop good taste.”» www.telegraph.co.uk

The true cost of cheap chic – “If you pay £5 for a pair of jeans, and deduct shipping, packing and distribution costs incurred getting them into stores, then it stands to reason that the Bangladeshi/Mauritian/Cambodian seamstress who ran them up isn’t likely to receive too much in the way of remuneration.”» www.sundayherald.com

The sweatshop high street – more brands under fire – “India’s largest ready-made clothing exporter, Gokaldas Export, which supplies brands including Marks & Spencer, Mothercare and H&M, confirmed that wages paid to garment workers were as low as £1.13 for a nine-hour day. This fails to meet their basic needs, according to factory workers and Indian unions and so falls below the minimum international labour standards promised by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), a code of conduct which sets out basic rights for employees across the supply chain.”» www.guardian.co.uk

How much mindless consumerism is enough? – “One of the larger issues with making shopping available around the clock is it tricks people into believing shopping and consuming goods is a form of entertainment when it was once considered a necessity.”» winnipegsun.com

Ethics girls mean big business – “Peppered with trendy labels such as Ciel, Howies, Goodone and Noir, shopping with a clear conscience has never been so trendy.”» www.theherald.co.uk

When shopping becomes a drug – “One of the great myths is that addictive spending is defined by women racking up credit card debt in pursuit of closets full of clothes while we ignore Uncle Charlie “treating” his friends to nights on the town…”» nydailynews.com

US Babies Get Global Brand Names – “He also says that naming a child after a brand such as Armani or Chanel, associated with money or exclusivity, reflects the material hopes of such families.”» news.bbc.co.uk

All Change - “The straightjacket that was once ‘the brand manual’ is now more likely to be shorter, encouraging and have a lightness of touch rather than nine ring binders gathering dust on the shelf (the way they used to be).”» www.johnsonbanks.co.uk

Changes to Shopping Behaviour - “People need stuff. Shopping is still a transactional, experiential pastime and this is where retail brands can arguably add the most, both in terms of reinforcing the brand message and being profitable.”» www.wgsn.com

Consistency in Retail - is there ever too much? – “A coherent approach to the brand not only prevents confusion about what the brand stands for but it also helps to build consumer trust, which leads to customer experience being solid across the board.”» www.theretailbulletin.com

Being Spaces & Brand Spaces - “There is a genuine opportunity to surpass the now ubiquitous ‘flagship store’ (still seen as the most radical change in the world of retail branding), by offering something truly new to consumers who are not only looking for entertainment, but also for uniqueness, discovery, trying out, hanging out, empathy and even transformation.”» www.trendwatching.com

Is That a Fake in your Pocket? Quite Possibly.. - “Last year just under 1 million people bought a counterfeit Louis Vuitton item, the study found.”» www.reuters.com

(Still) Made Here - “Two mega-trends of our time, the greening of consumption and the proliferation of alternative status symbols, hold the promise of vast new riches for real-world entrepreneurs, while wreaking havoc on those that lag behind. Which brings us to the (STILL) MADE HERE trend: the comeback of all things local, all things with a sense of place, and how they’re surfacing in a world dominated by globalization.”» www.trendwatching.com

UK: Ethical Consumerism: Mass Appeal - “With a high proportion of consumers indicating a willingness to pay a premium for such goods, there is further evidence that ethical consumerism can generate mass market appeal, something that the Consumer and Packaged Goods (CPG) industry can no longer ignore.”» www.corpwatch.org

The Paradox of Green Consumerism - “Companies ply even vaguely green associations at every opportunity in hopes it can give their business a lustrous emerald sheen. Call it eco-guilt assuagement. Have it all, while saving the planet.”» www.thestar.com

Organic Store is Problem for Supermarkets - “Such is the money to be made from organic food that the company’s U.S. stores generate twice the profit per square foot of any other supermarket. ”» www.thisismoney.co.uk

Top US health store to open in UK - “Whole Foods Market will sell a range of natural and organic groceries from a site in Kensington. ”
» www.channel4.com